Water death

Babies in Bolivia are being born sick, some with missing fingers and deformed ears. Parents fear that mercury could be poisoning their children. Illegal gold miners are dumping tonnes of toxic mercury into the Madre de Dios River. It builds up in the food chain, contaminating a mighty river that pours into the Amazon rainforest -- poisoning the water, the wildlife, and the main food source for entire communities. And in pregnant mothers, mercury crosses into the growing baby. Now river communities are fighting back and they're calling for help. They're collecting hair and water samples to build a rock-solid case that would ban mercury dumping in the river -- and set a precedent for river communities across the Amazon. Avaaz helped fund the first tests, but 36 communities still need testing before heavy rains come in November, and remote villages are cut off. The more testing they do, the stronger their case. And not just for their children: if they win in court, the river itself could be given legal rights, with rehabilitation and permanent monitoring of water quality. This is a special appeal to fund the first large-scale mercury testing run by community groups in Bolivia. Your donation will provide testing kits and emergency care for dozens of river communities. We'll pay for specialist labs to detect hidden toxins, building an undeniable body of evidence to save this river of life. If we raise enough, we'll also fund other communities fighting to protect our planet's most precious rivers. And when the evidence is powerful, Avaaz will launch huge public campaigns, forcing governments to act. Every day without testing is another day of poison in Bolivia. Please donate what you can to help families protect the river and their children:

Dear friends, Babies in Bolivia are being born sick, some with missing fingers and deformed ears. Parents fear that mercury could be poisoning their children. Illegal gold miners are dumping tonnes of toxic mercury into the Madre de Dios River. It builds up in the food chain, contaminating a mighty river that pours into the Amazon rainforest -- poisoning the water, the wildlife, and the main food source for entire communities. And in pregnant mothers, mercury crosses into the growing baby. Now river communities are fighting back and they're calling for help. They're collecting hair and water samples to build a rock-solid case that would ban mercury dumping in the river -- and set a precedent for river communities across the Amazon. Avaaz helped fund the first tests, but 36 communities still need testing before heavy rains come in November, and remote villages are cut off. The more testing they do, the stronger their case. And not just for their children: if they win in court, the river itself could be given legal rights, with rehabilitation and permanent monitoring of water quality. This is a special appeal to fund the first large-scale mercury testing run by community groups in Bolivia. Your donation will provide testing kits and emergency care for dozens of river communities. We'll pay for specialist labs to detect hidden toxins, building an undeniable body of evidence to save this river of life. If we raise enough, we'll also fund other communities fighting to protect our planet's most precious rivers. And when the evidence is powerful, Avaaz will launch huge public campaigns, forcing governments to act. Every day without testing is another day of poison in Bolivia. Please donate what you can to help families protect the river and their children: I'LL DONATE R$15 I'LL DONATE R$25 I'LL DONATE R$45 I'LL DONATE R$85 OTHER AMOUNT Avaaz members helped to fund the first round of mercury tests, but 36 communities still urgently need testing. Together, we can give families the information they need to fight back -- building a rock-solid case to stop the poisoning and win lasting legal protection for the Madre de Dios River and beyond. Rivers provide drinking water for two billion people -- including many of us -- yet they are being poisoned by sewage, mining and toxic chemicals every day. From the Ganges to the Thames, and the Nile to the Amazon, freshwater ecosystems are now degraded in half the world's countries. None of us can win this fight alone. But together, we can make sure that more communities can take action to expose pollution and protect their waterways. And where public mobilisation is needed most, that's what Avaaz exists for. By donating today, we each help to protect the one thing every living being on Earth needs to survive -- safe water. If we raise enough, we could: Expand mercury testing and river monitoring across dozens of still-untested communities in Bolivia; Provide medical care to flush toxic mercury from children and mothers in the Bolivian Amazon, before there's permanent damage; Back river defenders worldwide, supporting specific communities fighting to save the planet's most precious rivers; Fund the legal cases, public warnings and political campaigns needed to turn evidence into clean-up, healthcare and stronger protections; Power urgent, high-priority Avaaz campaigns to fight for our human right to water and a safe environment. Our rivers are in crisis. But together we could spark a new movement of river defenders around the world. Please donate today to help communities reveal what's poisoning their rivers -- and turn that truth into action. I'LL DONATE R$15 I'LL DONATE R$25 I'LL DONATE R$45 I'LL DONATE R$85 OTHER AMOUNT Alone, our actions can feel like a drop in the ocean. But when millions of us come together, across the planet, those drops can become a wave of change. Let's stand behind the communities defending their rivers -- and help bring poisoned waters back to life. For our blue planet, Adela, Julia, Mike, Patri, Nell and the whole team at Avaaz 💧 If water testing sounds simple, just look what it has already achieved:  Flint, Michigan. Officials told LeeAnne Walters her family's water was safe. She tested water from her kitchen tap, finding up to 13,200 parts per billion of lead against a federal limit of 15. Residents then handed out sampling kits across the whole city and produced a result that made the official position impossible to hold. A federal emergency was declared and the city switched its entire water source. Ilkley, England. A residents group sampled the water in the River Wharfe, used freedom of information requests to prove how often raw sewage was being released, and applied to have the river designated for bathing, because designation legally forces the regulator to test it and publish the results. In 2020 it became the first river in England to win that status, and the water company committed millions to cleaning it up. Rivers across the UK are now following the model. Hwange, Zimbabwe. Local residents were trained to test their own water, collecting hundreds of samples that exposed mining pollution and toxic metals far above safety standards. Their evidence helped reveal the scale and sources of contamination -- giving communities the data to demand action to protect their river and health. Veneto, Italy. Parents near a chemical plant had their children's blood tested and found "forever chemicals" in it. They went to court, and in June 2025 eleven former executives were convicted of crimes including deliberately poisoning water, with sentences totalling 141 years and over 75 million euros in damages. It was the first time anywhere that company bosses were held criminally responsible for these chemicals. Across Europe. The same chemicals found in those Italian children's blood turned out to be almost everywhere. Scientists and journalists pooled a hundred datasets and freedom of information requests to map nearly 23,000 contaminated places nobody had ever counted. Once the scale was visible on a single map, a continent-wide ban moved onto the table. PS. This might be your first donation to our movement ever. But what a first donation! Did you know that Avaaz relies entirely on small donations from members like you? That's why we're fully independent, nimble and effective. Join the over 1 million people who've donated to make Avaaz a real force for good in the world. Note: The photo at the top of this email shows a young boy standing along the Madre de Dios River in Peru, where mercury poisoning is at emergency levels, just as in Bolivia -- and many communities are still in the dark. Photo by Janine Costa / Reuters. More information: Drought, water rationing and dry rivers: our water crisis is here (The Guardian) How Bolivia's Gold Rush Is Poisoning Indigenous Communities (New Scientist) Mercury threatens over 160 communities in Bolivia’s Beni River basin (Mongabay)

Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 22 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook, X, or Instagram. You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "Community Petitions Site" on 2016-12-07 using the email address statusgps@gmail.com. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact us, or simply go here to unsubscribe. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact . Avaaz Foundation ℅ Sayer Vincent LLP 110 Golden Lane London, England EC1Y 0TG Avaaz Foundation c/o Servcorp 1330 6th Avenue Suite 23A New York, NY 10019 USA

For a Human AI

Scientists are brewing bioweapons with AI. Whistleblowers warn it could cause human extinction. Trump might think that’s all fine, but the rest of us want a future with us in it. And there is a better path: this week, experts, artists, and workers worldwide need our help to smash past their goal of a million signatures on a declaration demanding pro-human AI – together we can force oligarchs and lawmakers to put people, ethics, and safety before profit: Right now, billionaires like Elon Musk and Sam Altman are competing in an aggressive race to control the future of AI — and it's coming at a painfully high cost. They are treating the entire planet as an unregulated laboratory, and all of us as their guinea pigs. AI should enrich humanity, protect individual liberty, and solve major challenges, not replace us or risk our future just to make a handful of tech oligarchs even more outrageously wealthy. That’s why a powerful coalition of tech experts, artists, parents, religious leaders, workers and scholars drafted the Pro-Human AI Declaration — a global demand to put people, not tech billionaires, at the centre of AI development. They launch their big push this week, and they’ve asked our movement to help turn this into the largest public campaign on AI in history. Let's help them beat their goal of 1 million signatures! They will deliver our demand directly to lawmakers and executives worldwide, giving brave leaders the mandate they need to protect humanity from rogue AI.

Scientists are brewing bioweapons with AI. Whistleblowers warn it could cause human extinction. Trump might think that’s all fine, but the rest of us want a future with us in it. And there is a better path: this week, experts, artists, and workers worldwide need our help to smash past their goal of a million signatures on a declaration demanding pro-human AI – together we can force oligarchs and lawmakers to put people, ethics, and safety before profit: SIGN NOW Dear friends, Right now, billionaires like Elon Musk and Sam Altman are competing in an aggressive race to control the future of AI — and it's coming at a painfully high cost. They are treating the entire planet as an unregulated laboratory, and all of us as their guinea pigs. AI should enrich humanity, protect individual liberty, and solve major challenges, not replace us or risk our future just to make a handful of tech oligarchs even more outrageously wealthy. That’s why a powerful coalition of tech experts, artists, parents, religious leaders, workers and scholars drafted the Pro-Human AI Declaration — a global demand to put people, not tech billionaires, at the centre of AI development. They launch their big push this week, and they’ve asked our movement to help turn this into the largest public campaign on AI in history. Let's help them beat their goal of 1 million signatures! They will deliver our demand directly to lawmakers and executives worldwide, giving brave leaders the mandate they need to protect humanity from rogue AI. SIGN THE DECLARATION: HUMANITY BEFORE PROFIT We’ve already seen what happens when Big Tech regulates itself: democracies destabilised by industrial-scale disinformation, societies divided by algorithms, and privacy violated. Now, unvetted AI is everywhere from hospitals to conflict zones – inflating healthcare costs, driving up energy bills, and flooding our lives with manipulative content. It doesn't have to be this way. A better path is possible — one where trustworthy, controllable AI tools work for us, protect our privacy, strengthen our relationships, and amplify our human potential. But this will only happen if people everywhere demand it right now. Sign now and share with people you know want a better future for all of us. SIGN THE DECLARATION: HUMANITY BEFORE PROFIT Our movement helped pass the strongest legislation regulating Big Tech in the EU, proving that when we organise, we can force tech giants to mitigate the risks they cause. Now, we need to take this fight global and win a future where AI serves humanity, not Musk and Altman. With hope and determination, Nádia, Nate and the entire Avaaz Team P.S. Want to read the full text before signing? You can read the complete Pro-Human AI Declaration here. More information: AI researchers 'earnestly believe' it could kill all humans within the next decade, Anthropic employee says (CBC) AI CEOs say they need to slow the pace of development. But will they? (The Guardian) Türk calls for urgent, meaningful action to tackle unprecedented AI risks (UN - OHCHR)

Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 22 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook, X, or Instagram. You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "Community Petitions Site" on 2016-12-07 using the email address statusgps@gmail.com. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact us, or simply go here to unsubscribe. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact . Avaaz Foundation ℅ Sayer Vincent LLP 110 Golden Lane London, England EC1Y 0TG Avaaz Foundation c/o Servcorp 1330 6th Avenue Suite 23A New York, NY 10019 USA

1,000 olive trees

"Every olive tree we plant says: we are still here. This is our home. This is where our roots are. And that's worth fighting for." — From a Palestinian farmer to Avaaz members Dear Terezinha, When Israel bombed Gaza's fields and orchards, they devastated more than just the farmland. Their bombs destroyed people's livelihoods. They took away the simple dignity of feeding one's children. The comfort and belonging that come from sharing a warm meal with family. 181,700 Avaaz members donated to get life-saving emergency aid to families in Gaza. And millions more, including you, demanded an end to atrocities. Thank you. We wanted you to know that the donations of Avaaz members helped deliver millions of litres of clean water, thousands of hot meals and bread to families in 177 camps and distribution points across Gaza. Avaaz-supported clinics also offered free medical care to more than 4,000 sick and vulnerable people. But our donations went even further. The money raised by the Avaaz community also helped to revive fields and orchards damaged by bombing, repair greenhouses, and plant vegetables and olive trees that will nourish families for years. The solidarity of this community grew into something tangible: We helped bring 3.5 hectares of farmland back to life, where eggplants, tomatoes, peas, beans and potatoes now grow;We supported 47 farming families and created 94 jobs; We helped plant 1,000 olive trees that will produce 30,000 kg of olives a year, and create income for farming families.But these numbers only tell part of the story. For people who've known hunger, food is never just food.

"Every olive tree we plant says: we are still here. This is our home. This is where our roots are. And that's worth fighting for." — From a Palestinian farmer to Avaaz members Dear Terezinha, When Israel bombed Gaza's fields and orchards, they devastated more than just the farmland. Their bombs destroyed people's livelihoods. They took away the simple dignity of feeding one's children. The comfort and belonging that come from sharing a warm meal with family. 181,700 Avaaz members donated to get life-saving emergency aid to families in Gaza. And millions more, including you, demanded an end to atrocities. Thank you. We wanted you to know that the donations of Avaaz members helped deliver millions of litres of clean water, thousands of hot meals and bread to families in 177 camps and distribution points across Gaza. Avaaz-supported clinics also offered free medical care to more than 4,000 sick and vulnerable people. But our donations went even further. The money raised by the Avaaz community also helped to revive fields and orchards damaged by bombing, repair greenhouses, and plant vegetables and olive trees that will nourish families for years. The solidarity of this community grew into something tangible: We helped bring 3.5 hectares of farmland back to life, where eggplants, tomatoes, peas, beans and potatoes now grow; We supported 47 farming families and created 94 jobs;  We helped plant 1,000 olive trees that will produce 30,000 kg of olives a year, and create income for farming families. But these numbers only tell part of the story. For people who've known hunger, food is never just food. It's safety. It's the moment of comfort when a family gathers around a table again. The familiar taste of sun-ripe tomatoes. Parents watching their children grow healthy and strong. It's traditions kept alive by grandma's recipes, and the unbroken, defiant hope that the story of Gaza's people will continue. Children holding up tomatoes grown in Palestine. Thanks to Avaaz members' generosity, we are funding community projects to help revive Gaza's farmlands, allowing Palestinian families to once more grow fresh, nutritious produce like tomatoes, aubergines, potatoes, and radishes. Photo credit: APN, Revive Gaza's Farmland project. Donations from Avaaz members are helping hope to sprout in Gaza again.  Rebuilding won't be easy. War and suffering in Palestine are far from over. Families are still being torn apart by hunger and loss, as Israel keeps tightening its grip on Gaza, preventing aid from reaching people. Growing food can help families survive today. But for communities and land to recover, violence and genocide must end, and those responsible must be held to account. That's why Avaaz is in this for the long haul. Our community is actively working alongside Palestinians to end the occupation and bring lasting peace to Palestine. Here's some of our action plans for the weeks and months ahead: Together we’re pushing the EU to ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements, cutting off the profits that help fuel land theft and settler violence in Palestine. Watch your inbox for important calls to action in the coming weeks!  And from Gaza to the West Bank and beyond, we're launching the first-ever Palestinian Freedom Charter -- a document written by the people, for the people, laying the foundations for a new future. It's a revolutionary act of democracy, following in the footsteps of South Africans who successfully won liberation from Apartheid, and used their Freedom Charter as the basis for a new constitution and way forward. Over 30,000 Palestinians have already joined. The goal: one hundred thousand before the end of the year! The road to peace in Gaza will be long -- and we'll be there every step of the way.  For today, every olive tree planted is a promise. Where so much has been lost, each new tree taking root in Gaza's soil is a declaration that Palestinian families are still here, still determined, still rebuilding. And thanks to you, they are not alone. That is the hope you helped plant. A hope that remains rooted, even against impossible odds. Thank you for standing with the people of Palestine. In solidarity, Julia, Kaitlin, Mike and the whole team at Avaaz P.S. Everything Avaaz does is entirely funded by our members -- people like you. This letter is truly just to thank you for that and show you what a difference we make together. If you're looking for the link where you can support our ongoing work in Palestine and around the world, you can find it here.

Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 22 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook, X, or Instagram. You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "Community Petitions Site" on 2016-12-07 using the email address statusgps@gmail.com. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact us, or simply go here to unsubscribe. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact . Avaaz Foundation ℅ Sayer Vincent LLP 110 Golden Lane London, England EC1Y 0TG Avaaz Foundation c/o Servcorp 1330 6th Avenue Suite 23A New York, NY 10019 USA